"He had breasts. Not large ones. Small breasts, like a flat-chested woman temporarily swollen with milk. Then with his red beard, his face of a sunburnt forty-five-year-old man, stern-visaged, long-nosed, thin-lipped, he began to nurse. The baby stopped wailing and sucked greedily." -Marge Piercy, from "Woman on the Edge of Time" (p. 134)

31 October 2006

FROM RICHARD MYERS, ON OAXACA

Roundup -- events in Oaxaca, and in support of Oaxaca

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Otra Campana ... Has asked all adherents worldwide to protest the incursion into Oaxaca. "Protest in defense of the people of Oaxaca." Block roads, airports, demonstrate in front of the Mx consulates or embassies, worldwide. Whatever works...

Plus they announce a General strike in Mexico for nov 20, Revolution Day and the same day as AMLO is inaugurated.

MEXICO CITY, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Mexico's lower house of Congress called on Oaxaca state's embattled governor to resign on Monday to end months of violent protests that led riot police to seize control of the state capital over the weekend.

Gov. Ulises Ruiz has been under fire for five months, with leftist protesters in the popular tourist city of Oaxaca accusing him of corruption and repression and demanding his ouster.

Federal riot police broke up the demonstrators' barricades and took control of the colonial city on Sunday. Ruiz had repeatedly called for federal forces to step in.

The Chamber of Deputies voted overwhelmingly in favor of a motion calling on him to step down.

Ruiz has flatly refused to resign. Lawmakers from his own Institutional Revolutionary Party failed to back him, with most abstaining and only a few voting against the motion.http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=N30403508

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"Today, there are many signs that... [the] Federal incursion into Oaxaca [will] not only fail to squash the movement, but [will] in fact strengthen it... Allies of the APPO took control of the government radio station yesterday in Guelatao, the small town in the mountains two hours from Oaxaca where Benito Juarez was born." -- Gregory Berger

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there are reports of barricades being rebuilt along the highway to Mexico City once again blocking off traffic and impeding the further arrival of federal troops. -- James Daria

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teachers from the democratic wing of the teachers’ movements in several states, including Guerrero, Michoacán, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Zacatecas, Oaxaca, Mexico City, and beyond, have vowed to walk out of classes as well. A mega march is planned in Mexico City to insist on the immediate withdrawal of the PFP. -- Gregory Berger

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In the United States, there has been a suggestion that "we should start building for -- and publicizing -- mammoth protests November 9th when so-called President Calderon is scheduled to visit Bush in DC."

A large solidarity demonstration invaded the Mexican consulate in Indianapolis this morning.

Anarchists acted in solidarity with Brad Will and with the continuing struggle in Oaxaca.

Anarchists in Indianapolis invaded the Mexican consulate at 11 am this morning, chanting "solidarity means attack, for Brad/Oaxaca we will fight back!" and passing out flyers explaining the action.

The office was shut down for 15 minutes until word was received that police reinforcements were arriving.

At one point during the demonstration, consulate officials approached the masked demonstrators and attempted to initiate a dialogue. Anarchists responded by refusing to speak with them and informing them that, as employees of the Mexican state, they were also complicit in the crimes being committed in Oaxaca.

Afterwards, the protest dispersed safely with no arrests.---------

...there have been two actions so far in San Francisco. A vigil in front of San Francisco City Hall on Saturday night and an action at the Mexican Consulate this [Monday] morning.

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"At 5pm this evening, Indymedia and solidarity activists and friends of Brad turned up outside the Mexican Embassy in London to show solidarity with the uprising in Oaxaca and the state murder of Indymedia journalist Brad Will, 36, of New York City. Initially, there around 30 people, but this quickly swelled to a mass of 60-70 or more people. The initial presence was marked with banners and a small noise demonstration, before the Indymedia Tricycle turned up, followed thereafter by a samba band and audiovisual equipment." Report includes account of confrontations with police.

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/10/354780.html

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"Apparently, protesters have stormed the Mexican Embassy in Milan, Italy! In Chiapas, protesters lit tires on fire and painted graffitti signs denouncing the violence in Oaxaca. The popular assemblies in the states of Michoacan, Puebla and Mexico are also planning and executing protest events."

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Window Busted at Mexican Consulate In Sacramento

one of the front windows is busted at the mexican consulate at 8th and J in sacramento.

I was just walking around on my lunch break downtown, and saw the one of the windows at the only mexican government building in Sacramento is busted out. There is a fist or baseball sized hole right at chest level near the main entrance and its taped off with yellow caution tape. It might just be a coincidence, but it seems like a broken plate glass window right on the front of the Mexican Consulate in the heart of downtown Sacramento probably has something to do with what is going on in Oaxaca.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/30/18324702.php

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Protestors and friends of Brad Will occupied the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh, NC for over 3 hours today to demand justice for the people of Oaxaca, Mexico and immediate reprisals against the paramilitary death squads who kill with impunity.

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20061030120756495

Here is info about a protest in New York City:

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Arrests at the Mexican Consulate in NYCOctober 30th, 2006 by Thomas Good

New York, NY - October 30, 2006. A 9 AM protest was called today at the Mexican Consulate in response to the murder of NYC IMC photojournalist Brad Will on October 27, 2006, in Oaxaca, Mexico. At this point (12:00 EDT) about a dozen arrests were reported to NLN by SDSers on site. Arrestees are being processed at the 13th Precinct (230 East 21st Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, Phone: 212.477.7411). A call has gone out for jail support - activists are requested to come to the 13 Precinct.

Brad Will was working as a journalist for the global Indymedia network. He was shot in the torso while documenting an armed, paramilitary assault on the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca, a fusion of striking local teachers and other community organizations demanding democracy in Mexico. His death caused outrage in the activist community and today's protest drew approximately 150 participants, according to SDS NYC.

Members of the Pace and Brooklyn College chapters were at the scene when NYPD officers began to make what appeared to be random arrests. One SDS member was injured when he was thrown to the ground by a uniform for no apparent reason. This Brother reported that "Inspectors were giving conflicting orders" to uniforms making for a chaotic situation.

An IndyMedia journalist reported that: "The action began with a banner drop. Three people locked themselves to the consulate door, breaking it, and had to be sawed off, leading to multiple arrests. IMC videographer Brandon Jourdan lay down in the street in front of the consulate and blocked traffic. Was arrested; it took six cops to get him up. IMC photographer Erin Siegal possibly arrested for taking photos."

According to SDSers the police had batons out, were "poking people with their batons", and were very aggressive. Pens were set up quickly and people herded into the pens. About a dozen activists were arrested and taken to the 13th Precinct in Gramercy. One man allegedly climbed a phone pole and it required NYPD ESU to bring him down. A few activists apparently chained themselves to the door to the consulate and police resorted to sawing them free, breaking the door in the process and, according to one observer, injuring one of the activists who had a series of lacerations on her face.

SDS is calling for all activists in the NYC area who are able to do so to come to the 13th Precinct - and be prepared to vigil at 100 Centre Street (Central Booking) should the arrestees be arraigned there.

forwarded from Thomas Good, Organizer SDS New York City

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Dean Gibson reports: "Apparently the water sprayed a mixture of a chemical and water, that leaves a stinging sensation and a yellow stain on the skin, supposedly for later identification. The vehicles used were bought by Salinas in 1994 in expectation of the Zapatista rebellion, but were never used till now..."

"The police brought the water cannons to Etla on platform trailers. Although the cannons were purchased during the last days of the Carlos Salinas de Gortari administration (1988-1994), it was today, with 31 days left in President Vicente Fox’s term, that they were used for the first time. Tonight, two were destroyed in confrontations with residents."

We might wonder, why yellow? Why not red or blue, which will show up better? Perhaps the yellow isn't as visible to television cameras. Seemingly pure water seems so much more harmless than a chemical-laced, possibly toxic stain.

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Narco News at http://www.narconews.com/ has some new stories, but is sometimes unavailable. This may be overload due to so much traffic, so keep trying.

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APPO is reporting four dead in conflicts with police yesterday.

Confirmed:

1. Fidel Sanchez Garcia. He died because of firearm impacts 2. Jose Alberto Lopez Bernal. He died because of impact of tear gas grenade in chest 3. A boy of 12 years by impact of firearm. 4. A teacher whose body was found in San Pedro Juxtlahuaca (population located to 8 km Of the Technological bridge).